Customer Reviews

Streetlife Serenade

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I really appreciate all of Billy Joel's records. However his early releases: Cold Spring Harbor, Turnstiles, and this one are special probably because they are not so overplayed on the radio. The title track is so haunting its beautiful. Los Angelinos boogies along quite nicely as Billy's band adds nice support. And two instrumentals- the subdued Mexican Connection with its accentuated rhythms and the jolly bingo hall styled Root Beer Rag. The Entertainer may be the hit single with its catchy lyrics but overall this record is very consistent and quite varied.

I love Billy Joel's music, and am starting to collect his older CDs. I just got "Streetlife Serenade" and it's great! I especially like the piano/keyboard solos i.e. "The Mexican Connection". I can't pick a favorite because they're all great! And I love the painting on the cover, too! Hats off to Billy Joel, one of the greatest musicians EVER.

Somehow, this album escaped my notice initially when I was exploring the music of Billy Joel - it wasn't in my dad's record collection and none of my friends who were into his music had ever mentioned it. After having, I supposed, overlooked it at first in the record store, I finally discovered the record and brought it home with me sometime in the spring of 1985. My initial impression of this album was not necessarily a great one...There were only a couple of songs on here that I liked at first. Over the years it remained relatively ignored by me...but now, when I listen to Billy Joel, this is one of the albums I listen to most - probably because I didn't over-play this one when in High School.

Actually, most of the songs here are really very good and show a little bit of a broadening of style for Billy Joel. Favorites include "Los Angelenos" which is actually rocks a little bit and makes good use of the electric piano (which, for those who have read other reviews of mine, is one of my favorite instruments...). "The Great Suburban Showdown" makes interesting use of what I suppose is one of those early Moog Synthesizers. It's used to great effect, as sort of embellishment to a tale of middle-class weekend boredom. "The Entertainer" is a very catchy, cynical view of the music business. I also very much like the pretty instrumental "The Mexican Connection" which has a nice hook and which also makes good ornamental use of the Moog synthesizer...I suppose the one song I don't like that much is the other instrumental, the cornball "Root Beer Rag" - great piano playing and all, but just too corny for my tastes...The other two or three songs on the album to me are somewhat nondescript, if not pleasant typical early Billy Joel songs...

In sum, there are no real masterpieces on this album, but most of the songs on this album are really nice - pretty piano playing, good lyrics - biting at times - and well composed. A couple of others are neither here nor there - neither good nor bad...and one ("Root Beer Rag") which I just don't like. This is a better than average album and I give it 3.75 stars, rounding up to 4 stars. RECOMMENDED...

Streetlife Serenade contains some of the best lyrics on any Billy Joel album. Many of the songs are sung in the first person and it gives them a certain intimacy. "Streetlife Serenader" starts the album on a soft note and "Los Angeleanos" wryly mocks the denizens of L.A. "The Great Suburban Showdown" is a humorous tale of man heading back to his hometown to spend time with his parents and "Root Beer Rag" is an instrumental where Mr. Joel shows off his piano chops. "Roberta" is a good song about a lady of the night while album's hit single "The Entertainer" is a sarcastic look at show business. "The Last Of The Big Time Spenders" and "Weekend Song" are good songs while "Souvenir" is a poignant look at how life can pass you by and all you have left are the memories. "The Mexican Connection" is another instrumental that closes out the album. Streetlife Serenade is another classic Billy Joel record.

I enjoyed this album, but it isn't in my regular CD rotation. The songs are mostly good piano works, but nothing really grabs attention. The big exception is "The Entertainer" which could be one of his top 5 tracks of all time. If you're buying Billy for the first time, start with "The Stranger" or "Turnstiles", this gem you won't get into until you've been other Joel-places first.

You would think without any real radio hits except for maybe "The Entertainer", this wouldn't be a very good album, and before I purchased this I had my doubts, but this is just brilliant stuff, and that's no joke. This album doesn't get respect kind of like CHICAGO III didn't have any big hits either, but it's my favorite Chicago album. Billy kicks on the piano for the instrumental "Root Beer Rag". "The Great Suburban Showdown" is just brilliant. Some of my other favorites are "Last of the Big Time Spenders", "Streetlife Serenader", and "The Mexican Connection". I have no idea how hardly anything from this album got any radio play, but it's the radio's loss because this has some of the most endearing songs that he ever wrote, so get out to your music stores and buy this gem. Believe me, you'll thank me!

This album is great. I espcially love the song The Great Suburban Showdown. It reminds me very much of my childhood growing up in Hicksville, LI, NY. The song describes my youthful days perfectly. Thanks Billy for letting me relive those good times! Buy This Cd!!!

As a commentator on his rags-to-better-rags-to-near riches life as a musician in New York City Billy Joel was coming up roses during his early hitless years in the mid 70's,right along with his contemporaries Springsteen,Jackson Browne and veterans like Dylan. In terms of it's concept this album basically picked up where Piano Man but,unlike that one nothing on this album became very commercially successful and it still remains a somewhat obscure item in his catalog. That reasoning being the mere fact Billy was known primarily for hits and not as an AOR character. Yet while he was seeking those hits this album not only went right for the album rock sound pretty straight up while at the same time expanding on the previous albums themes. One story song follows another here and not only that a couple of instrumentals too. The title track leads off the back,a fairly typical song for Joel but you can also hear a faint twinge of synthesizer in the mix. "Los Angelenos" is the perfect kind of jazz-funk tinged rocker with it's fender rhodes and bumping groove-the fairly loud guitars (for Billy at this point that is) kind of puncuating the tunes theme of urban youth California street life of the period. Many of these tracks show Billy's talents with his variation as a jazz flavored singer/songwriter-telling a witty "board with the folks on a Sunday afternoon" story on "The Great Suburban Showdown" and seeming to fall hard in love with a hard working prostitute on "Roberta". "The Entertainer" really does pick up where the title song of the last album left off:the "piano man" is now singing songs for the AM radio and realizing the many unfair and obnoxious aspects of the music industry. Interesting that despite his gorgeous melodies and way with songwriting there are times when Billy Joel seemed to have more the attitude of a punk than a confessional songwriter. Actually he was both and on "Last Of The Big Spenders" and the great rocker "Weekend Song" you see that in your face. The two instrumentals here are fantastic. Your gonna want to get up and dance when "Root Beer Rag" comes on;the influence of Scott Joplin comes through as Billy pulls through on the idea of a "rock n ragtime" song-not a bad subgenre of music to jumpstart and the combination ends up being boogie woogie in the end more or less. "The Mexican Connection" has sort of a latin pop-jazz sort of flavor to it and,musically it would prove very significant to the one he'd use on his breakthrough The Stranger a couple albums later.Any pop music and/or Billy Joel fan who missed out on this one should head to your record store,who at this point usually have this relatively unknown album in consistant stock for some reason and at least take a listen to this because you might be surprised at what you'll find.

A refreshing renewal of awareness for Joel's early work. Very fun, genuine, and VERY easy to listen to...while still rocking! The trip down memory lane doesn't hurt either...

While a few songs drag, this is one of Joel's most interesting albums. It really produced no big hits (a rarity), but has some of his best early work. There is a rift developing between "LA Billy" and "NY Billy," represented by his sardonic accounts of "Los Angelinos," which by the way, is the best rocker on the album. It would have made a better single than "The Entertainer." Fans know Billy would eventually move back to NY, but his western singing is amusing (he even loses the NY accent and attitude for this set). Root Beer Rag is pure genius and pure fun; it's amazing very few people have heard it. It, alone, is worth the price of the CD.